Question 1

With reference to the climate of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. The climate can be defined as a humid, tropical coastal climate.
2. It receives rainfall from both South-west monsoon and North-east monsoon.
3. Maximum precipitation is between December and May.
Select the answer using the code given below:

Accepted Answer

1 only. * Statement 1 is correct: The islands feature an equatorial, humid tropical coastal climate with warm temperatures year-round. * Statement 2 is correct: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands experience two distinct monsoon phases—receiving heavy rainfall from both the Southwest Monsoon (June to September) and the Northeast Monsoon (October to December). * Statement 3 is incorrect: Maximum precipitation is received during the Southwest Monsoon period, not between December and May.

Question 2

Consider the following statements:
Statement I: Scientific studies suggest that a shift is taking place in the Earth's rotation and axis.
Statement II: Solar flares and associated coronal mass ejections bombarded the Earth's outermost atmosphere with tremendous amount of energy.
Statement III: As the Earth's polar ice melts, the water tends to move towards the equator.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both of them explain Statement I. * (b) is correct: Climate change studies show the Earth's rotational speed is slowing and its spin axis is shifting, satisfying Statement I. * Statement II is correct: Solar storms and coronal mass ejections hit the upper atmosphere with extreme energy, causing the thermosphere to expand, though this does not measurably affect the planet's bulk rotational axis. * Statement III is correct: Accelerated polar ice sheet melting shifts mass away from the poles toward the equatorial oceans, which changes the planet's mass distribution, alters its polar motion, and slows down its spin. * Because Statement III provides the explanation for the axial shift (Statement I), while Statement II is a true but unrelated atmospheric event, option (b) is correct.

Question 3

Consider the following statements:
Statement I: The amount of dust particles in the atmosphere is more in subtropical and temperate areas than in equatorial and polar regions.
Statement II: Subtropical and temperate areas have less dry winds.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Both Statement I and Statement II are correct but Statement II does not explain Statement I. * Statement I is correct: Higher concentrations of atmospheric dust particles are concentrated in subtropical and temperate regions compared to equatorial and polar zones. * Statement II is not correct: Subtropical and temperate areas are dominated by vast dry, arid, and semi-arid wind systems. This dry air and prevailing wind pattern (not the lack of it) lofts dust particles into lower atmospheric layers, making Statement II false. Thus, option (c) is correct.

Question 4

Consider the following statements:
Statement I: In January, in the Northern Hemisphere, the isotherms bend equatorward while crossing the landmasses, and poleward while crossing the oceans.
Statement II: In January, the air over the oceans is warmer than that over the landmasses in the Northern Hemisphere.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Both Statement I and Statement II are correct and Statement II explains Statement I. * (a) is correct: In January (winter in the Northern Hemisphere), continental landmasses cool down abruptly while oceans retain heat, making the air over oceans warmer than over land, satisfying Statement II. * Because oceans are warmer, warm ocean currents (like the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic drift) cause equal-temperature lines (isotherms) to bend poleward (northward) over oceans. Over cool landmasses, the temperatures drop sharply, forcing the isotherms to bend equatorward (southward). Thus, Statement II explains the physical behavior described in Statement I.

Question 5

Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: The atmosphere is heated more by incoming solar radiation than by terrestrial radiation.
Statement-II: Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are good absorbers of long wave radiation.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect. * Statement-I is incorrect: The Earth's atmosphere is largely transparent to incoming short-wave solar radiation, allowing it to pass through to strike the surface. The surface absorbs this energy, heats up, and re-radiates it outward as long-wave terrestrial radiation, which heats the atmosphere from below. Thus, the atmosphere is indirectly heated more by terrestrial radiation than by direct incoming solar waves. * Statement-II is correct: Carbon dioxide and alternative atmospheric greenhouse gases are excellent, highly efficient absorbers of outgoing long-wave terrestrial radiation, trapping infrared heat within the lower troposphere. Therefore, option (d) is correct.

Question 6

Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: Thickness of the troposphere at the equator is much greater as compared to poles.
Statement-II: At the equator, heat is transported to great heights by strong convectional currents.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I. * (a) is correct: The troposphere's structural height varies drastically over the globe, extending roughly to 8 km over polar zones and expanding up to 18 km above equatorial regions, validating Statement-I. * Intense solar insolation at the equator heats the surface, causing air to expand and generate powerful, deep vertical convectional currents that loft thermal energy up to great heights, validating Statement-II. * Because these active, intense equatorial convectional air currents (Statement-II) are the precise physical mechanism that lofts the air upward and forces the upper tropopause boundary higher (Statement-I), Statement-II provides the correct explanation for Statement-I.

Question 7

Which of the following is/are correct inference/inferences from isothermal maps in the month of January?
1. The isotherms deviate to the north over the ocean and to the south over the continent.
2. The presence of cold ocean currents, Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift make the North Atlantic Ocean colder and the isotherms bend towards the north.

Select the answer using the code given below:

Accepted Answer

1 only. * Inference 1 is correct: During January, isotherms in the Northern Hemisphere show clear latitudinal deviations, bending significantly northward (poleward) as they cross oceans and turning southward (equatorward) across cold continental interior landmasses. * Inference 2 is incorrect: The Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift are warm ocean currents, not cold ones. Their presence makes the North Atlantic Ocean significantly warmer during winter, which is what causes the isotherms to bend sharply toward the north.

Question 8

Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: Rainfall is one of the reasons for weathering of rocks.
Statement-II: Rain water contains carbon dioxide in solution.
Statement-III: Rain water contains atmospheric oxygen.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Both Statement-II and Statement-III are correct and both of them explain Statement-I. * (a) is correct: Rainfall triggers the chemical weathering, decomposition, and denudation of exposed rock surfaces, validating Statement-I. * Atmospheric carbon dioxide easily dissolves into falling rainwater, creating a weak carbonic acid solution that reacts with and breaks down minerals like calcium carbonate, validating Statement-II and explaining Statement-I. * Concurrently, rainwater absorbs dissolved atmospheric oxygen, inducing oxidation reactions that rust and crumble iron-bearing minerals inside rock matrices, validating Statement-III and explaining Statement-I. Thus, both statements are correct and provide causal mechanisms for Statement-I.

Question 9

With reference to "water vapour", which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. It is a gas, the amount of which decreases with altitude.
2. Its percentage is maximum at the poles.

Select the answer using the code given below:

Accepted Answer

1 only. * Statement 1 is correct: Water vapor acts as a highly variable atmospheric gas whose content decreases rapidly with increasing altitude within the troposphere. * Statement 2 is incorrect: The concentration of water vapor is determined by temperature and evaporation, reaching its maximum percentage (~4% by volume) in the warm, wet tropics near the equator, while dropping to less than 1% in dry, freezing polar or desert locations.

Question 10

Consider the following description:
1. Annual and daily range of temperatures is low.
2. Precipitation occurs throughout the year.
3. Precipitation varies between 50 cm 250 cm.

What is this type of climate?

Accepted Answer

Humid subtropical climate. * (d) Marine West coast climate is correct: Also referred to as the British type climate, this system is located in mid-latitude coastal zones under the permanent, continuous influence of the Westerlies. * It is characterized by small daily and annual temperature ranges due to the moderating influence of adjacent oceanic bodies. Frontal or cyclonic storms bring constant oceanic moisture, producing regular precipitation, light drizzle, and fog distributed throughout the year, with total rainfall varying between 50 cm and 250 cm.

Question 11

With reference to "Coriolis force", which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. It increases with increase in wind velocity.
2. It is maximum at the poles and is absent at the equator.

Select the answer using the code given below:

Accepted Answer

2 only. * Statement 1 is correct: The apparent deflection caused by the Earth's rotation is proportional to velocity; hence, the magnitude of the Coriolis deflection increases as wind velocity increases. * Statement 2 is correct: The Coriolis force is directly proportional to the sine of the latitude. It reaches its maximum intensity at the poles and is completely absent (zero) at the equator.

Question 12

On June 21 every year, which of the following latitude(s) experience(s) a sunlight of more than 12 hours?
1. Equator
2. Tropic of Cancer
3. Tropic of Capricorn
4. Arctic Circle

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Accepted Answer

3 and 4. * On June 21 (the Summer Solstice), the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, with solar rays falling directly over the Tropic of Cancer. * During this event, all locations in the Northern Hemisphere experience extended day lengths exceeding 12 hours, with daylight durations increasing latitudinally northward until reaching continuous 24-hour daylight beyond the Arctic Circle. * Therefore, the Tropic of Cancer (2) and the Arctic Circle (4) experience more than 12 hours of sunlight. (The Equator experiences exactly 12 hours, and the Southern Hemisphere's Tropic of Capricorn experiences under 12 hours).

Geography: Climatology & Meteorology PYQ.

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